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Andy Hunter: Think Like A Mountain

By Dan Bilawsky
October 19, 2012
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Trombonist Andy Hunter has taken a seat in many of the most important big bands of the past decade, yet many are still unaware of his skills. He sadly suffers from "section man syndrome": that ailment that afflicts those who are heard by many, yet never truly seen for who they are. Hunter, who has resided in Brooklyn for the better part of a decade, has put his round and occasionally robust horn to good use in bassist

Dave Holland

bass
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Holland's Big Band, drummer

Tommy Igoe

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Tommy Igoe's Birdland Big Band, saxophonist

Travis Sullivan

saxophone, alto
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Travis Sullivan's Bj?rkestra, the

Mingus Big Band

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Mingus Big Band, pianist

Orrin Evans

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Orrin Evans' Captain Black Big Band and several other high profile East Coast ensembles, but he's putting himself first on Think Like A Mountain.

Hunter enlisted some of New York's finest, most of which happen to be fellow Mingus Big Band alumni, to flesh out his intriguing ideas. He uses a three-horn-plus-rhythm format, which is nothing revolutionary, but his choice of horns, method of scoring/writing and decision to substitute Fender Rhodes for piano give the group its own unique sound print. Trombone, baritone saxophone and trumpet make for an intriguing combination, with a rich bottom end and a brassy shine, and Dave Kikoski's Rhodes work is second to none, as he proves to be one of the few people who don't drive the instrument into stale, '70s-derived territory or outer-planetary explorations.

The material ranges from funereal and atmospheric ("Less Is More") to harmonically rich and aggressive. Hunter has a penchant for writing chorale-like horn passages that pop up in various places and make the music glow; he gets three horns to sound like five and fills the sonic space without overcrowding it. Straight eighth-note post-modernism ("Think like A Mountain"), enjoyable standard rewrites ("Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered") and odd-metered journeys are all part of Hunter's vision. He hits the jackpot in completely different games, delivering a brilliant and choppy, odd-metered funk/fusion hybrid built around

Danny Fischer

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Danny Fischer's drumming ("Ampersand Band") and a slow, bluesy number with a soulful solo from saxophonist

Jason W. Marshall

saxophone, baritone
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Jason W. Marshall and some eye-opening trombone work ("Post-Occupational Hazards For The Pre-Occupied 99%...Blues").

While Marshall and Fischer get special mention for those important moments, Kikoski, bassist

Boris Kozlov

bass, acoustic
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Boris Kozlov and trumpeter

Alex Sipiagin

trumpet
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Sipiagin deserve credit for versatility. Kikoski lightly coats some of this music, staying out of the way to let the others do their thing, but he knows when to let loose and seize the day with his soloing ("Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered"). Sipiagin floats like a butterfly, with warmth and depth, and stings like a bee, with a powerful punch, and Kozlov takes the music wherever it needs to go at a moment's notice.

Think Like A Mountain makes it easy to understand why Hunter is such a hot commodity in big bands—and so undervalued as a standalone artist. He's part of the same class of trombonist as

Ryan Keberle

trombone
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Ryan Keberle and

Marshall Gilkes

trombone
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Marshall Gilkes: men who are often too busy making other groups sound good to attend to their own work.

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Track Listing

Think Like A Mountain; What Is This Thing Called Love; Deed By Delusion; Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered; Ampersand Band; Astringent; Less Is More; Post-Occupational Hazards For The Pre-Occupied 99%...Blues.

Personnel

Andy Hunter

trombone

Andy Hunter: trombone; Alex Sipiagin: trumpet; Jason Marshall: baritone saxophone; Dave Kikoski: Fender Rhodes; Boris Kozlov: bass; Danny Fischer: drums.

Album information

Title: Think Like A Mountain | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: River Records

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